However, the report concedes that the risks presented to the banking system by bitcoin should not be ignored:

"Bitcoin users can handle many of their daily payments needs themselves, without the need for interaction with banks, and avoiding the need to incur bank fees. In the same way, value stored in PayPal accounts moves outside of the bank’s payment systems, depriving banks of valuable payments revenue."

The BBA believes it is important for banks to take action now, investing time and energy in understanding how best to use the technology behind bitcoin.

"Banks must accept that they are increasingly part of the broader ecosystems that customers are constructing around themselves. However, their place in these ecosystems is far from secure," the report concludes.